Jury selected in Hougland trial

RED BLUFF &GT;&GT; A panel of 12 jurors was selected Wednesday for the trial of a Red Bluff man charged with murder in the death of a military veteran last year.

The jury comprises six men and six women, along with two alternates. Some prospective jurors were excused by Tehama County Superior Court Judge Matt McGlynn for medical reasons, and others were excused by both the prosecution and defense following questioning that focused on prospective jurors' feelings toward self-defense laws and bias.

Christopher Hougland, the defendant, is charged with murder with the special allegation that he used a knife in the June 2013 death of 28-year-old Samuel Forseth of Palo Cedro.

A 911 call was received at 2:23 a.m. June 27 of last year, when someone in the 200 block of Pinon Way in Red Bluff reported that a man was bleeding on his front porch. Officers responded and found Forseth with significant wounds consistent with those caused by a knife, Red Bluff police said at the time. Medical personnel arrived on scene and determined Forseth had succumbed to his wounds.

Hougland, 40, and a military veteran himself, was taken to St. Elizabeth Community Hospital and treated for cuts or stab wounds before being taken to the police department where he was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police have said they believed Hougland and Forseth were friends or acquaintances, and a neighbor on Pinon Way had said Hougland called Forseth his "brother."

Hougland, who appeared with his attorneys in court Wednesday, has pleaded not guilty.

McGlynn told jurors that the case is expected to run for about two weeks, and he ordered the jury to return to court at 8:45 a.m. today to hear opening statements.